Correctly setting up your WordPress site’s email settings is essential for maintaining communication with your users.
Improperly configured settings can lead to undelivered emails, negatively impacting your site’s reputation and user experience.
At CanadaCreate, we have created numerous email lists and always ensure our email settings are correctly configured using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to enhance email deliverability.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of correctly configuring your WordPress email settings.
What Causes WordPress Email Settings to Malfunction?
By default, your WordPress website utilizes the PHP mail() function to send emails for form submissions, account activations, and other notifications.
However, if your web hosting provider’s mail server is not configured correctly, you may face email delivery issues. Additionally, popular email services like Gmail may classify these messages as spam.
As a result, emails sent from your website could end up in the recipient’s spam folder or fail to reach their inbox entirely.
Fortunately, you can resolve this issue by properly configuring your WordPress email settings using an SMTP service or plugin.
Understanding SMTP: How It Can Enhance Your WordPress Email Settings
SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, is the standard method for sending emails. Unlike the PHP mail() function, SMTP provides proper authentication to ensure reliable email delivery.
Utilizing an SMTP service on your website can significantly improve email deliverability, prevent messages from landing in spam folders, and ensure that your email notifications reach users’ inboxes promptly.
To effectively set up your WordPress email settings, it’s essential to select a reputable SMTP service provider such as SendLayer, Brevo (formerly known as Sendinblue), Mailgun, or SMTP.com. These providers are user-friendly and enable secure email sending from your WordPress site.
After selecting an SMTP provider, the next step is to connect your WordPress site to your email server.
This is where the WP Mail SMTP plugin becomes invaluable. It enables you to send emails through SMTP and offers robust features such as email logs, email management options, priority support, and more.
We have been using this tool and have observed a noticeable improvement in email deliverability since implementation. For further details, you can check out our comprehensive WP Mail SMTP review.
The premium version of the plugin allows seamless integration with leading SMTP service providers such as SendLayer and Brevo, as well as any WordPress hosting provider that offers email accounts.
Now, let’s explore the steps to correctly set up your WordPress email settings.
How to Correctly Set Up Your WordPress Email Settings
Configuring your WordPress email settings is straightforward with the WP Mail SMTP plugin and an SMTP service provider.
In this tutorial, we will be using SendLayer, recognized as the top SMTP plugin available.
Step 1: Create Your SendLayer Account
Begin by visiting the SendLayer website and clicking the ‘Get Started With SendLayer’ button.
This will direct you to the Pricing page, where you can choose a plan that fits your requirements.
If you prefer not to purchase SendLayer at this moment, you can click on the ‘Try our SendLayer free trial (send up to 200 emails)’ link located at the bottom.
This will lead you to the ‘Checkout’ page, where you need to enter your email address, password, and payment information.
After successfully creating your account, simply click the ‘Continue to Dashboard’ button.
Step 2: Add Your Domain for Verification
First, you need to verify your domain name so that email servers recognize you as an authorized sender.
This ensures that emails sent from your account after verification will not be directed to the user’s spam folder.
To begin, click the ‘Add Domain’ button located in the top right corner of the screen.
A new page will appear where you should enter your website’s domain name in the provided field.
After entering your domain name, click the ‘Add Domain’ button to proceed.
SendLayer will automatically create five types of DNS records for your domain.
You will need to copy and paste each of these records into your website’s DNS settings individually.
To access these DNS settings, navigate to the dashboard of your WordPress hosting account. The exact location will vary based on your hosting provider. SendLayer also offers documentation to assist you.
Once you have added all the DNS records to your hosting dashboard, check the box that says ‘I have added these DNS records and am ready to proceed’ at the bottom of the SendLayer page.
Then, click the ‘Verify DNS Records’ button to move forward.
Please note that it may take up to 48 hours for the changes to your DNS records to take effect.
To verify your domain authorization status, go to your SendLayer dashboard and click on the ‘Settings’ tab located in the left sidebar.
On the Settings page, navigate to the ‘DNS Records & Settings’ tab at the top.
If your DNS settings are verified, you will see a green indicator in the Status column for each DNS record type.
Step 3: Copy Your SendLayer API Key
Now that your domain name is authorized, copy the API key from your SendLayer account. This key is essential for connecting the SMTP service to your WordPress site.
To do this, click on the ‘Settings’ tab in the left sidebar of your SendLayer dashboard, then select the ‘API Keys’ tab at the top of the page.
Once there, click the ‘Show API Key’ link and copy the key to your clipboard.
Step 4: Configure the WP Mail SMTP Plugin on Your WordPress Site
After creating a SendLayer account and copying the API key, go to your WordPress site’s dashboard.
Next, install and activate the WP Mail SMTP plugin. For step-by-step guidance, refer to our beginner’s guide on installing a WordPress plugin.
Note:Make sure you have the pro version of the WP Mail SMTP plugin to link it with your SendLayer account.
After activating the plugin, navigate to the WP Mail SMTP » Settings section in the WordPress admin sidebar.
Once there, enter your plugin’s license key in the ‘License Key’ field. You can find this key on your account page on the WP Mail SMTP website.
Next, scroll down to the ‘From Email’ section and input the admin email address you wish to use for sending emails to your users.
If you want the same From Email address to be used throughout your entire site, simply check the ‘Force From Email’ option.
Then, enter the name you want to display as the sender in the ‘From Name’ field.
For instance, if you run an eCommerce store, you can use your store’s name here. This helps users easily recognize who is sending them an email.
For more detailed guidance, check out our tutorial on setting up WP Mail SMTP with any hosting provider.
After that, scroll down to the ‘Mailer’ section and select the SMTP service you want to connect to your WordPress site.
In this tutorial, we will select the ‘SendLayer’ option.
After completing the previous steps, a new ‘SendLayer’ tab will appear on your screen.
In this tab, paste the API key you copied earlier from the SendLayer dashboard. If you missed copying the key, simply click the ‘Get API Key’ link to return to your SendLayer account.
Once you have entered the key, click the ‘Save Settings’ button to apply your changes.
You have successfully integrated WP Mail SMTP with SendLayer.
Step 5: Send a Test Email
To verify that your SMTP service provider and the plugin are functioning correctly, you can send a test email.
To do this, navigate to the ‘Email Test’ tab at the top of the WP Mail SMTP settings page.
In the ‘Send To’ field, enter an email address that you can access. Then, click the ‘Send Email’ button.
After sending the email, a success message will appear on your screen.
Next, check the inbox of the email address you provided to find the test email you just sent.
WP Mail SMTP and SendLayer will resolve your email deliverability issues, ensuring that your emails reach your users’ inboxes instead of their spam folders.
Next Steps: Strategies for Growing Your Email List
With your WordPress email settings now correctly configured, it’s time to focus on expanding your email list.
Growing an email list is crucial because email marketing is a budget-friendly strategy to re-engage customers and boost conversions.
You can achieve this by creating popups with OptinMonster, which will appear on your website as targeted email signup forms.
We have successfully utilized this tool multiple times at CanadaCreate to promote our email newsletters and special offers, yielding impressive results. For more information, check out our comprehensive OptinMonster review.
Additionally, consider creating a lead magnet page, developing an email newsletter, or offering content upgrades. For more in-depth strategies, refer to our beginner’s guide on effective and straightforward methods to grow your email list.
You can also run giveaway contests on your WooCommerce store using RafflePress, the leading giveaway plugin available.
This approach requires interested users to sign up on your website to participate in the giveaway, which will help increase your email list. For more information, check out our tutorial on how to successfully run a giveaway or contest in WordPress.
We trust this guide has assisted you in effectively setting up your WordPress email configurations. Additionally, check out our comprehensive tutorial on utilizing a free SMTP server for sending WordPress emails, as well as our recommendations for the top email marketing services tailored for small businesses.
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